Forbidden Love
by DeathsGreenEyedAngel
Summary: TifaxAeris. Tifa is in the realization of a new found affection for someone who's always been close to her. But how will it be received by those who care about her? SOON TO BE REVAMPED!
1. Twisted feelings

_This love is forbidden!_

What would everyone think? How can this be happening? I can't feel this way...no...for god sake's she a _girl_. I'm so confused...maybe..it'll pass. How could I feel this way for one of my best friends? My mind must be playing a cruel joke on me.

"Tifa? Wake up...time to get to school."

_Well, today is gonna be a punch in the face. Damn you Tifa, control your emotions._

After about 30 minutes of preparing for the hellhole called school, I got on the bus and there I was. Walking through the depths of torture, known as "education".

When I walked into the classroom, all my friends were in there. I stopped when I saw her. _Oh...shit..._Aeris. How the hell was I gonna tell _her_ my sick and twisted feelings? Telling someone of the same sex that you've been having feelings for them wouldn't exactly be a damn picnic. Aeris had been my friend for a while and she understood me and listened when I needed someone. She was also the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. How could you _not_ fall in love with her?

_Wha.??! Ok, ok. Tifa, you are NOT in love,okay? It's simply just a small feeling that will pass. Ok,ok...whew. Just go up casually, sit and talk to your friends like always._

Yuffie was her usual wacky, random self. Cloud looked particularly handsome, his golden hair soft and pale skin glowing. _See,Tifa? Guys are hot too. You are so not liking Aeris._ Zack sat next to him, his eyes were overflowing with eyeliner.

"Hey, Tifa!" Of course, I recognized her voice. She came up behind me and gave me a hug.

"Hi." I tried to keep my eyes down and hide. But my sight involuntarily focused on her face. Perfect emerald eyes were shining bright, chocolate brown hair surrounding her beautiful face.

_Tifa! Stop! You're..you're sick! You cannot feel this...you can't..you can't..._

"What's wrong,Tifa? You look...nervous...what's wrong? Can I help?" She put her hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes in a concerned manner.

"I'm fine. I'm fine, I just...need to get through the day and go home." The bell rang and my friends left for their classes. It was weird...I wanted to hide from her but...I didn't want her to leave. I watched her walk out the doorway until she dissapeared into the crowd of students in the hall. Today...was gonna be hell.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The name "Aeris" made me think of many things. I know if what I was feeling _wasn't_ real, then I wouldn't be thinking about her all day like I am now. It has to be something...I wonder how she would react. She'd probably hate me forever. This isn't a nomal situation here.

"Excuse me? May I go to the bathroom?"

"Hurry up." The teacher told me.

Going to the bathroom. Yeah right. I was getting out of this hellhole. Once outside, I got in my car and quickly drove home. What a relief.

_Tifa...I thought you were strong. You can't just run away. You need to face it. You have to deal with it. _What the hell is going on? One side of my conscience was telling me to run and hide but the other was telling me to face my problems. Which one should I listen to? That was totally up to myself. Damn this...

When I got home, I sat on my bed and thought...yes, I thought more. I had to tell her. Today. It seemed too soon but I needed to get this off my chest...I needed to hear her reaction. Only a few more hours until school was over...until then, sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was awoken by the phone ringing around 5:00. It was Aeris.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I waited for you at the end of the day but you weren't there.What happened?"

_Oh nothing.I just had to get away for a little to think about how I would confess my love for you..._

"Um..I wasn't feeling too great so I just came home. I'm sorry for making you wait. I'll make it up to you. Let's go out to eat. I wanna talk to you, in person. It's important."

"Ok,Tif. I'll come pick you up."

_Tifa, what're you doing??? You can't do this...you can't...she'll hate you forever. There's no turning it down this time..._

Once Aeris pulled up outside, I ran out and got in the car.

"Hey,Tif! You feeling ok?" she hugged me.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to get a few things out."

"Well you can tell me right now. If it's personal, you shouldn't say it in front of people at the resturant. Go ahead."

"It is personal. And I'm...extremely nervous right now." I folded my hair back behind my ear and turned towards her, slowly bringing myself to look into her eyes. She brought her hand up to my hair and pushed it back. Why'd she have to do that? She's making this _harder_.

"Go on Tif. I'm listening. Please,just tell me."

"You'll hate me..."

"Tifa...why in the world would I _ever_ hate you? Please tell me..."

I was starting to panic. My heartbeat was getting faster by the second and I was shaking like a rabid badger.

"I..I..."

"Tifa..."

"I...I like you,ok?" I was still looking at her after I said it. She looked a little...shocked but that was understandable. Once again she pushed my hair back and started leaning towards me.

_What is she doing?? What is she doing??? Oh god...breathe,Tifa BREATHE!!!_

The moment her lips touched mine, I felt a huge spark of shock and relief mixed together. This _cannot_ be happening. She doesn't...hate me? I finally brought myself to kiss her back then we both pulled away. We sat and looked at eachother for what seemed like forever. Did this _seriously _just happen?


	2. Our confession

"How long, Tif? How long have you been...feeling this way?" she asked me, taking a bite of her pizza.

"Ok, don't think I'm some kind of creepy stalker person but...a few months at least. I just...I thought if I told you...you'd hate me forever."

"Tif...I could never hate you.." she placed her hand on mine and smiled at me. I could feel my face burning red. I was a little..embarrassed. And extremely shocked as well as relieved that she felt the same way. I sure as hell wasn't gonna be able to sleep tonight.

"Hey, after this,do you think your mom would let me stay at your house for a little while until my mom gets home?" I asked her.

"I'm sure she won't mind. I know I don't." I was still shaking from earlier. I couldn't believe she actually felt the same way. After all the times I thought I knew for sure that she'd hate me if I told her, that turned out to be wrong. And man was I happy for that.

"What about you?"

"Me what?"

"How long have _you_ had feelings for me?" I asked her.

She blushed. "Almost...a year,Tif."

My eyes opened wide. "What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because I thought you'd hate me,too."

"Well...now we know what we _really_ feel."

We both got up, and went to the car, heading for her house.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

. This may sound creepy and weird but I love the way Aeris' house smells.

"I'm gonna call my mom so she doesn't bitch to me once I get home."I said. Aeris whined.

"I don't want you to go home..."

"Heh, trust me I don't wanna go either..." I dialed the number.

"Hey mom. I'm at Aeris' house. How long can I stay?"

"H-honey...I'm at a meeting right now..just stay,okay?"

"Mom...what's going on? Oh god...MOM...DON'T tell me you're with that bastard again! Fine, if you get pregnant, I'm not taking care of it!" I slammed the phone down. "My mom...is with the most hateful, sick freak in the world right now...she told me to stay."

"Well..I guess we have that 'hateful sick freak' to thank..." she took my hand and gave me a hug. I shifted nervously.

"Aeris...where are you're parents?"

"They're both at work. They should be back soon. We could just go up and talk if you want."

"Yeah.." we both went upstairs and sat in her room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok..first off...what're we gonna tell everyone?" she asked.

"Everyone as in...everyone at school? Ok, the only people I care about finding out at school is our friends. Everyone else can just shove it up their--"

"Right, I know what you mean. But...isn't there a way that word can get to our parents?"

"The only way is...Reno. And, he's my brother so if he threatens to tell, I threaten to tell my mom about aaallll the girls he's screwed and we're good. That should definetly shut him up." She laughed.

"When should we tell Yuffie...Zack..?" I asked her.

"Whenever you're ready. But I think...the sooner the better. It's best not to keep it locked up forever, right?"

"Right...I'm okay with tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah...is that...?"

"That's fine,Tif. I just want them to know so we can...show our feelings without being afraid."

"Me,too...I just...I still can't believe everything that's happened today. I'm so happy." She put her hand on my face and ran her fingers through my hair.

"So am I,Tif."

This whole situation was one huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I can feel everything getting easier for me from here on. I just hope nothing screws it up. The phone rang.

"Hey, Zack!!"

"Tifa? Hey, you're at Aeris'?"

"Yeah...so what's up?"

"I was gonna come by."

"Come over for a little!" Aeris yelled into the speaker.

"Wow...two chicks eager for me to come over,huh? Doesn't sound bad to me." He said.

"Heh..ok, we'll see you."

"Bye." I hung up the phone.

"Hm..why's Zack coming over? He do that often?"

"Hm...jealous?" she giggled.

"Maybe..."

"He just stops by once in a while to say hi. The bad part about this is that I know he likes me and he's awfully adorable...but, I've got you and I'm not giving that up." she told me. I gasped.

"We should tell him when he gets here! The sooner the better,right?" I took her hand and went out the door where we both waited for Zack to get there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We spotted a dark shadow with...spikey hair...carrying an ipod that was turned up so loud that we could hear it in the silence of the night.

"Get your ass on over here.Zack!" I laughed. He started jogging a little.

"You guys sounded pretty desperate for me to be over here, what's up?"

"Alright, we've got some things to tell you. Sit down. Hand me the ipod."

"Jeez, am I in trouble or something?"

"No. But you can't hear us with that thing turned up all the way. Ok...Aeris?"

"Ok..Zack. We're gonna tell you. But do not tell anyone. Not even Yuffie or Cloud. We'll tell them. Ok? Um...Tifa, how do we do this?" she whispered. I looked around nervously, this was tough...

"Uh..." I grabbed her hand and put our arms in front of Zack. Aeris laughed. "Ok,ok. Uh..." I hugged her all while still holding her hand.

"I think I'm missing your point...Ok,wait. Hand holding...hugging. WAIT...WAIT...you guys are...WAIT...You're gonna be sisters??!! Whoa I didn't know your mom was re-marrying so soon Tifa!" said Zack.

"Zack...are you serious..." I slapped his head.

"It should be obvious by now."

"Oh!!!!...hehehehehe..." he giggled deviously.

"What the hell?"

"T-that's...hot." he said.

"Finally caught on?" I laughed.

"How long has this been going on and you not telling me this nice little detail?"

"It just happened today."

"Sweet! I'm the first to know?"

"Congragulations." I said sarcastically. "But if you say anything...well... you've seen me kick ass before. I'd look out."

"Ok, why would I tell? This is between you and Aeris. And me. Man am I lucky..." He put his arms around Aeris and I and pulled us in.

"Heh, sorry Zack but we will no longer be the victims of your flirting. We're taken." said Aeris.

"Are you guys gonna leave my ass out here to freeze? I'm coming in to warm up. And don't take that pervertedly,either because that's not what I meant."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So...how're you gonna tell your parents?"

"I'm not even concerned with that right now. It just started. We need sometime to think about that. All we're worried about right now is you guys knowing. Then...we can worry about our parents." I answered. Just then, Aeris' mom and dad came through the door. They were talking obnoxiously not really using proper english, clearly drunk.

"Zack!! Tifa!! So wonderful to see you again! Come here!" her mother stumbled across the room and tripped, landing in Zack's arms.

"Mom...you and Dad go upstairs and go to sleep. My friends don't wanna see some drunk weirdos come in and _hug_ them." Aeris said, grabbing their arms and taking them up.

"She's got some crazy parents. Heh, I think it'd be a good idea to tell them when they're drunk. Maybe they'd shrug it off and except it...I just...don't know how my mom will react. I know if my dad were still in our lives, he'd support me with every choice I made, considering how his past was. But no...my stupid mother had to move out and now she's out sleeping with some nasty...ugh..just forget it. I may never tell my mom."

"Well you know,Tifa. You've got friends who support you and Aeris all the way. Remember that. We're here when you need us. But unfortunately, I gotta get home,ok? You can call if you need anything. I'll be up all night." He waved and walked out the door, ipod in hand.

"Whew...I am back from taming the beings of hell...they are CRAZY when they're drunk. But now they're gonna be sleeping and/or throwing up all night so no worries." said Aeris. I laughed and gave her a hug.

"Thanks for letting me stay. It's not just because I have to, considering my mom is out and she never gave me a house key but...I want to stay. I'm happy I'm here with you..."

"Trust me, I'm thrilled you're here too,Tif." she took my hand and we went upstairs, hearing her parents already starting to get the alcohol out of their systems.

Knowing her house well, I raided her closet to look for pajamas and clothes for school the next day, all with her permission of course. She was the only girl I knew with the same interest in clothing style as me. I picked out a pink tank top and black sweat pants to wear to sleep. For school, I got black knee-high socks, a red skirt and a white button up shirt with a black tie. Her outfit was exactly the same only her skirt was black and her shirt was light red. At our school, students had to wear uniforms. So we both took the required clothing and made it more interesting. More color and things like that. All the other girls looked...really boring and preppy. I know I didn't want to look like them.

"It's freezing in here." Aeris ran and shut the window them yanked out extra blankets out of the closet and threw them on the bed. I turned on the T.V. and flipped through the channels. _Why am I doing this? One, there's nothing good on. And two, I finally know how Aeris feels and I'm finally with her._ I shut the T.V off and patted the spot next to me on the bed, signaling for her to sit next to me. She looked into my eyes.

"What're you thinking about..?" she whispered.

"You...who else?" she smiled and held my hand. "What about you?"

"I've got no one else to think about but you,Tif." I was nervous. Who wouldn't be in this situation? She was holding my hand. We were sitting on the bed and it was awfully dim in the room. And now she was slowly leaning towards me, like she did in the car earlier today. She paused then moved again until our lips met. I never thought my first kiss would be with...a girl. Well, it wasn't exactly the first time we kissed. It was the second. But today in the car was more of a little...peck. This was more like a kiss. She slowly pulled away, her face still inches from mine. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I don't wanna go to school tomorrow...I'd much rather stay in bed with you all day."

"Me too, Tif." she pulled the covers over us and layed down with me. We both layed on our sides, looking at eachother still holding hands until we both drifted to sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes opened slowly in the morning and were greeted with the view of Aeris' pretty face, her features gentle and relaxed as she slept. Once my vision completely adjusted to the light, I looked at the clock and it read...

"Oh sh--! Aeris! We are sooo late!" she woke up and looked at the clock, then shot out of bed in a panic to get ready.

"Ok..my parents are gone..why didn't they wake us up?!"

"I guess they forgot due to their hangovers." I said pulling on my outfit then tieing my boots. Once we were both dressed and groomed, we got in the car and went to school.

The halls were very quiet. By now we'd be in...math. What a beautiful way to start the morning. We walked down to the classroom and the door was locked so I knocked on it lightly. The teacher looked over and in a look of dissapointment, opened the door for us.

"Ladies, you're late. The next time is a detention." I wanted to yell, right in her face, "I can't help that I fell asleep with my girlfriend and forgot about school!" I would never say that though. That would be the stupidiest mistake of my life, even though it's true. Just laying next to her made me forget about the world around us, if only for a little while. We took our sits and completely ignored the looks from other students. Thank god it's almost lunchtime. Until then, I'll just write down some answers and take some notes until class is over.

The bell rang and all the students jumped out of their sits and rushed out the door to lunch. We left our books and started walking down the hall. I slowly reached for her hand and proudly continued walking with her. Zack, Yuffie and Cloud were all up ahead so I had to let go. Yeah, we were telling them today. There he was. The devil himself. Reno. He came up ad grabbed me.

"Hey little sister, where the fuck were you all night? Mom kept calling _me_ and getting all bitchy thanks to you."

"She's the one who told me to stay at Aeris' house because she was out with...I don't even know his name all night! So her bitching is not my fault. Maybe she was high or drunk. Who cares? Get off me!" I yelled pushing him off. I took Aeris' arm and ran down to lunch followed by Cloud, Yuffie and Zack.

"I had no idea your mom was that bad." said Aeris.

"Yeah! First she gives us permission to do what we want, then she goes out and sleeps with lots and lots of men then takes out her anger on us because the

bastards leave her...You know what? I've said too much,I'm sorry." We all sat at the table and completely ignored the stares from all the other..._beings_ who think it's ok to judge based on looks.

"Ok,well. Yuffie,Cloud. You've been our friends for awhile so you deserve to know what we have to tell you." I said looking at Aeris. Yuffie put her math homework aside looking deeply interested and Cloud looked up from his book.

"Well...T-Tifa and I are...we're...together." she confessed, taking my hand. Cloud closed his book and smiled.

"Who would've thought it? I wish you happiness." There was silence.

"Y-Yuffie?" I looked at her. Shock and confusion lay in her eyes with tears forming.

"Yuffie..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_To be continued..._**


	3. Needy Mother

"Yuffie!!...Yuffie,stop. Please try to understand! Why are you doing this? This is hard for the both of us." Outside the cafeteria, Aeris and I stood above Yuffie who sat on the floor crying.

"Have you guys even thought about how much this could hurt our friendship?"

"What are you saying? Zack and Cloud are okay with it. Why can't you be? You've always been one to accept differences, Yuff"

"It's not that...I dunno...I'm just scared. I don't want us to be broken apart...You guys are like my sisters...I get along with you way better than with my own screwed up family..." Aeris sat next to her on the floor.

"Yuffie...I'm promise you, that will never happen,okay? I promise that no matter what, I won't be any less of your friend. Or Tifa's"

Yuffie looked up, her sleeves soaked with tears, and gave Aeris and hug.

"I'm happy for you guys...really,I am. I just...I dunno. I'm scared..."

"Everything's gonna be alright,Yuf. I promise you." I said, hugging her. Wiping her black tears off her face, we all walked back into the cafeteria and sat at our table. Zack and Cloud glanced at Yuffie, looking away quickly when she looked at them.

"She's okay," I said smiling. Yuffie smiled back.

For the rest of the school day I was becoming somewhat disgusted with how much of a lovestruck school girl I was acting like. I wrote "A&T" all over all my books and didn't realize I did it until I wrote it about twenty times. My heart fluttered whenever I thought about her. I had these feelings for so long and was finally able to tell her, with the best result I could ever ask for. Why...why must my love be sitting all the way across the room from me. We looked at eachother, giggling and blushing, much to the teacher's dismay.

"Ahem...ladies. If there's something you'd like to share, maybe you'd like to share it with the entire class since you seem to make it work across the room."

"Nah, that's okay. Thanks for the offer,though." I said. When the bell rang, I had praised it for saving us from the teacher's attitude.

"At last, the day is over..." said Aeris stretching.

"I know,right? Finally. What time's your mom gonna be home, tonight?" she asked me.

"I don't care. She's usually out screwing some guy. Probably to get promoted for her stupid job or something."

"Is she really THAT bad?" she asked.

"You have no idea..."

"So...I guess I'm coming over then."

"Yes, you are!"

We both made our way outside and to my car to drive to her house.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah, the bliss of coming home to an "annoying-mother-free" home with my love. We ran upstairs then threw our bookbags to the ground.

"I wish my mom would stop thinking about her "sexual needs" and start thinking about her only daughter. I hate her stupid boyfriend...she's always at his house. Every single day for hours on end and never even does anything beneficial for us. I'm sick of her..."

"You know I care about you, right? More than anything..." Her sparkling green eyes were focused on me intently. I smiled and folded stray pieces of her hair behind her ear.

"...I love you." she said. I looked up at her, both of us inching closer.

"I love you,too." I said. Then we kissed. Kissing her made me feel like the world around us completely stopped in it's tracks. It was the best feeling in the world. Her hand ran up and down my arm lovingly. Just the slightest touch from her made me shiver. We broke the kiss and smiled at eachother.

"Tifa!!!!!!"

"Oh...my god. I can't believe this..." I grabbed Aeris' hand and ran downstairs.

"Mom...why are you home already? Shouldn't you be at your boyfriends?" I asked her. She looked completely wrecked.

"Hey, I thought you'd be glad I was home..." she scolded. I shook my head and led Aeris out the door, both of us grabbing our bookbags. But before we could get out, my mom grabbed my arm and yanked me away from her.

"You know...ever since my daughter's been hanging out with the likes of you, she's changed." she told Aeris.

"Mom, don't! I've always been this way with you!" I yelled.

"No, Tif. It's okay, I'll just go..." said Aeris. I quickly got up and began to leave again with Aeris.

"You are NOT leaving with this...this skank!" said my mom. I shoved my mom up against the wall.

"Yes, I am! You never tell me who I can leave with ever again. I get along better with her than anyone else, including you. You're never there for me anyway! So, I'm leaving you and your stupid, worthless boyfriend behind because I hate you! Go...go fuck eachother like always. I won't get in the way." I led Aeris out the door with me and drove off in a fury. Far,far away from that bitch mother of mine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sixty-seven miles an hour, tears running over my face. The more I tried to hold them back, the more they poured out. My mother was the most self-centered, careless bitch on the planet. I couldn't deal with her crap anymore.

"She doesn't even know about us yet and she's already treating you like shit...how will I tell her now?...No...you know what? She doesn't deserve to know about anything that goes on in my life. I'm not even gonna tell her..."

"You should Tifa..."

"Why!? So she can hate us more? No!" There was silence for what seemed like forever. I didn't even know where I was driving. As long as I was away from my mom, I was okay. But, to be honest, I didn't know what to do next. The last thing I wanted to do was return home. And I didn't want to be a burden to stay at Aeris' house _again_. But I didn't know what else to do...She touched my hand.

"Tif..you can stay with me,okay? It's gonna be alright..." I wiped the tears from my face and smiled at her. I was gonna feel like a burden but being with her is worth it.

Getting to her house was a relief. It seemed like all I had been doing lately was running away. Tomorrow I was going to go back home and completely ignore my mother. The sun was vanishing in the sky, revealing the glowing moon above.

"C'mon inside, it's getting late..." said Aeris. We both got out of the car and stepped inside the warmth of her house. I threw my bag down and sighed.

"It's gonna be okay...I promise..." she wrapped her thin arms around me and hugged me gently. Being with her made me forget everything that was going wrong.

Every wrong turn I made was forgotten the minute I even saw her. This feeling I had for her was unlike any other feeling I had for anyone else in my life. She linked her fingers with mine and led me upstairs. Her house seemed so tranquil compared to the hellish surroudings of mine. I loved it. At the same time, we both layed on our sides on the bed, looking into eachothers' eyes.

"Thank you..."

"Hm?"

"For taking me in like this...I feel like a burden, you know..."

"You shouldn't...because I like having you here with me..." she twirled a strand of my hair, smiling.

"I've never felt this way with anyone...the way I feel with you. It's hard to explain..."

"I know what you mean, Tifa..I feel exactly the same," she replied. I cuddled closer to her, her hand resting on my shoulder. All that was heard was our soft breathing and the sounds of cars speeding away into the cold, dark night.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of rain hitting the window panes awoke me from my deep sleep next to my love. I stood up in the semi-darkness of the cold room and looked out the window. It had rained pretty heavily all night, though I was just realizing it. The streets had a rather large amount of water running down them. I was praying school would be out today. No way was I driving in this condition. However, I did like the peaceful sound of the raindrops outside, most likely the reason why I had slept through the whole thing all night. I turned around and Aeris was sitting up on the bed, holding the remote to turn on the weather. I smiled and sat next to her. Please, please let school be canceled...

We both watched the bottom of the screen with tired eyes.

"C'mon...school closed, school closed..."

**Tansho Highscool: Closed**

"Yes!!!!!" cheered Aeris.

"Ah...a day free from hell..." I flopped back down on the bed and pulled the covers over me. Aeris layed next to me with her hand on my stomach.

"I'd much rather spend the day with you then at school..." she smiled and layed her head on my shoulder.

"...I've just now noticed this...where are your parents?" she sighed and sat up.

"They party alot...usually never home.." I felt guilty for mentioning anything.

"Hey," I sat up and wrapped my arm around her. "..sorry,"

"It's alright...Now, we have the whole day alone." she smiled.

"I have something for you," I said. She tilted her head slighty in confusion. I puckered my lips and she giggled then kissed me sweetly.

"That was a nice little gift,"

It was strange. I wasn't one to smile very often. But every second with her brought out more and more joy in me. A side I had never seen before. The more I realized this, the more scared I got. I didn't want to lose her. Suddenly, we heard her parents come in the door downstairs.

"Hey mom, school's out today,"

"Thank god, It's horrible out there! Oh, hi Tifa. How're you?" her mom asked.

"I'm good. Um...I hope you don't mind me staying last night I had a few problems with my mom and.."

"No! Of course not! I think you're a great role model for Aeris. You two make the best of friends! Keep this up, and you may even be at eachothers' weddings!" she said cheerily and walked into the kitchen. I looked at Aeris with a sadness in my eyes. Her mom would be so dissapointed in me if she found out...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was about 5:00 in the evening when I decided to return home. I gathered my stuff and gave Aeris a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow.."

"Yeah," I looked around nervously. "Love you.." I kissed her quickly then walked out to my car. Now, I had alot on my hands. Troubles with my mom and the troubles that were soon to come if word got to our parents. It all seemed so hard, but the happiness that filled my heart just washed all the stress away when I was with her. And that's why I love her so much.

**_To be continued..._**


	4. Intolerance

Once I got home, my mom was in the kitchen, looking overwhelmingly stressed with a pile of bills and paperwork carelessly spread out on the table. She had finally noticed I was home when my heavy book bag hit the ground. There was an awkward silence as we both looked at eachother, anger in my eyes, stress in her's.

"Tifa..listen to me.."

"Why should I?" ...The phone rang. I went over to the I.D., saw her stupid boyfriend's number and slammed the phone down on the table where she sat.

"Finally he's done something useful. Saving me from a pointless lecture from my mother.." I said. I grabbed my book bag and ran upstairs to my room. I was starting to regret even coming home. Being here made me sick. I stripped off my school clothes and put on my white tank top with my gray sweat pants. Pulling out my cell phone, I opened it and smiled at the silly picture of Aeris and I. Her nose was wrinkled and her tounge was out, her head tilted slighty. My eyes were wide and crazy and my tounge stuck out, almost touching hers. It was such an adorable picture. Suddenly, my ring tone went off and the phone read "Aeris". I smiled again and took the call.

"Hey,"

"Hey. Was everything okay when you got home?" she asked. My mom walked in my room.

"Ugh..hold on...What do you want?" I said angrily.

"Who's on the phone?"

"Aeris..why? Don't you have something to do? Someone to betray your own daughter for?" She walked out of the room and shut the door tightly behind her.

"Anyway, I'm pretty much just giving her what she deserves. Total disrespect...all these years she's continually turned her back on me...she deserves it,"

"I'm sorry...about everything going on with your mom..."

"No no...if anyone, it's her fault. None of this is on you. Don't worry about it,baby..." I said sweetly. She giggled slightly.

"God...I can't wait to see you tomorrow..." she said.

"I know, I'm sorry I didn't stay a little longer...I don't wanna be here..." I replied.

"I wish you were here,too...I'm gonna wait by the front of the school for you tomorrow,"

"Well, aren't you a romantic.." I giggled.

"Only for you,baby.." she answered. I laughed softly. She was so sweet. I couldn't ask for anyone better.

"Ok, I'll look for you, since you always manage to beat me to school.."

"Ok,baby. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you,"

"I love you,too. Bye..." I ended the call and layed the phone next to me, still looking at that wacky picture of us. My eye lids felt heavy and the light outside began to fade as minutes passed. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning came and I had the worst headache. I looked over on my bed and my phone had a note next to it. It was still open to the picture and the note read: _I'm sorry..._

_Mom_

I looked up from the note, set it aside and got up to get dressed for school. I picked out a red tank top with my black half-sweater over it and my red and black plaid knee length skirt. I quickly brushed my hair, brushed my teeth then grabbed my bag and rushed downstairs. I found my mom asleep with her head on the table, a cup of coffee next to her hand. I smiled slighty at her and grabbed my lunch from the table. Then got in the car and drove to school.

I could already see her beautiful face, she was laying in the front of the school next to a tree, many students surrouding and waiting for the bell to ring. I quickly got out of the car and ran over to her. Once she saw me, she smiled and patted the spot next to her for me to lay. I threw down my book bag and made myself comfortable next to her. My eyes scanned the students surrounding us. Then I looked at her, smiled, and gave her a kiss, not caring who saw. She broke the kiss after a few seconds and smiled back.

"I missed you last night..."

"I missed you,too" she replied, her face still close to mine. I glanced around and saw a few people staring and whispering. I didn't care. I smiled at her and kissed her again. Suddenly, we quickly pulled away when we heard his voice.

"Oh, look. The little dykes have nothing better to do than to make out, right here in front of everyone," Known to judge people for everything, Sephiroth was the most hateful bastard on the planet. Behind him was...oh no...it was...Reno. He was gonna tell mom for sure...

Sephiroth picked both of us up and took us to the side of the school building then threw us on the ground.

"Why must the queers always think it's okay to show PDA and yet, the normal ones get punished?" he kicked dirt at us. Reno ran up behind him.

"Dude, what the fuck? That's my sister man!" he pushed him away and helped us up. I was shocked. My brother...standing up for me? This was weird...

I quickly grabbed Aeris' hand and led her far away from him. I had tears in my eyes, moving her hair away from her face, making sure there wasn't a scratch on her.

"Are you okay?"

"No,no. I'm fine...I'm okay,Tif.." I cried harder and hugged her, looking over at a growing fight between Sephiroth and Reno. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Mr.Wallace broke up the fight. The bell rang and students ran inside, due to the drizzling from the sky becoming stronger and stronger. Aeris and I quickly went behind the buidling and sat on the ground.

"I'm so sorry..." I said, still crying.

"It's not your fault,baby..people are just so cruel. So intolerating. It's horrible..." She said. I hugged her and softly let the tears fall. The rain began to get stronger and stronger. Mr.Wallace came around the corner and led us inside, offering to take us to the nurse incase we were hurt. We both said we were gonna be fine and headed to class.

Our clothes and hair were soaked and we were stared upon after walking in the class. I ignored the stares and walked to my seat, slipping slighty from my wet shoes. Reno caught my arm and looked into my eyes, concerned. I faintly smiled at him and kept walking. The class went on and I stared at the board blanky, then scribbling down notes and running my fingers through my wet hair. I was still in shock about this morning's events. My legs were shaking and I felt unusually jittery. The window was open and the breeze flew in, sending shivers over my already freezing skin. Finally the bell rang and I shoved all my papers into my binder and quickly walked up to Aeris. Reno came up behind me and took our arms, then out into the hallway. We looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Hey...Tif..I may have been a bastard to you before..but everything's gonna be okay..."

"You..you're not gonna tell mom?" I asked.

"Nah...I'm not that heartless..." he smiled and punched my shoulder lightly. For once I was grateful to have a brother like him. I wondered what had changed his actions towards me.

"I know this may seem like an awkward time to tell you...but..I'm upset. Because I got into a fight with someone I care about..." he said sadly.

"Reno...who was it? I wanna help you now.."

"Tifa...I dunno how this happened but I guess we both turned out to be...gay," he said. I looked at him, shocked. Never would I have thought that my brother liked guys...never.

"Aww,Reno...I-I dunno what to say...How can I help?"

"Can you just talk to him for me?"

"Of course I can, Reno. Who is he?"

"He's got shoulder length, silver hair. He's a looker. You can't miss him..." Reno gave me a quick hug then smiled at Aeris and made his way to next class. I looked at her with wide eyes and smiled.

"My brother...gay? I'm proud of him. Now I don't have to worry about him bringing home a snobby cheerleader home.." we began to walk.

"Well, there are guys like that,baby.."

"Oh god..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next class was the usual. Boring note taking, boring lecturing and boring threats of detention. Everything you can expect from Tansho Highschool. Luckily that didn't last very long, and the bell rang for lunch. Many hungry students scrambled out of their seats and out the door. I took a deep breath, took her hand and we walked together down the hall to lunch. On our way, we saw Yuffie and ran up to her. She turned around and hugged us.

"I heard about this morning! Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine. People are just...horrible..." said Aeris.

"They just don't appreciate how amazingly cute you guys are together," she said. I giggled and thanked her. Around the corner, Zack appeared with Cloud next to him, reading his usual book on the supernatural. We all made our way to the lunch room and sat where we sit everyday.

"Ok, you guys aren't gonna believe this, I'm still shocked. My brother...is gay. He just told me this morning. Now I'm really wondering why he hung out with Sephiroth," Yuffie grunted.

"Why is it that all the nice guys are ugly, all the hot guys are mean, and the handsome and generous boys are gay!?" She forked at the cafeteria food, disgusted.

"Yuffie, I know for sure you will find someone who will appreciate you for you," said Aeris. Surely enough, a nice looking blonde walked past the table, with his eye on Yuffie. I was sure he was an exchange student. His clothing was unusual and he was carrying a strange blue and white ball. **(A.N: Ok, I needed at least one crossover moment, know who it is?) **Yuffie looked back at him and smiled, blushing slightly.

"Apparently, you're quite the catch. Even I'd date you,Yuffie.." said Cloud.

"Ok, now you're teasing me!" she replied.

"I'm serious. We've known eachother how long? Only thing is, it'd be awkward.."

"Yeah, and it's gonna get more awkward if you keep talking about it!" she laughed and slapped him over the head.

"Ow...no need to hit.."

I looked over to the other side of the table and saw a boy. He looked rather upset. Silver hair...this was my brother's boyfriend. I scooted to the opposite side of the table and tapped his shoulder.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, but if I told you, you'd prolly...beat me up like every other kid in this damn school..."

"Let me guess...you're going through some tough times with a certain red head who can be a total bastard most of the time, right?" He looked up.

"And you are?"

"Tifa. I'm his sister.." He certaintly looked freaked out. He accepted my offer to discuss his little fight with Reno and how to fix things.

"You know, he sounded really upset when he told me about you two fighting..."

"He did?...What else did he tell you?"

"Well, he just wanted me to tell you that he was sorry for what he did and that...he loves you.." Ok, so I'm not the best with words. But hey, I'm trying here.

"I guess...I can forgive him...We've fought alot before...but being with him makes it all worth while," he said, smiling. I smiled back at him and was just about to let him sit at our side of the table when the bell rang.

"You can sit with us tomorrow,okay?"

"Sure...and when you see Reno, tell him to call me.." he said. I smiled.

"Will do,"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of the day, I drove Aeris back to my house. She had left a note for her parents back at her place before we left, telling them she would be staying with me..."studying". A typical excuse for a teenager to be with their love.

"Mom...I'm home," she sat in the kitchen, doing more paperwork for her job. She removed her glasses and welcomed Aeris in, asking if she could talk to her for a minute. I waited in the living room.

"Aeris...about the other day...I didn't mean what I said. I see how happy my daughter is with you and I regret my words...she's never had a friend like you and you're really helping her. You are welcome here anytime. Ok?"

"Thanks...and I just wanna let you know that Tif's been upset about what's going on with you and her and she really just wants to fix it. I think everything's gonna be alright," I walked in the kitchen and asked if we could order Chinese food. I was CRAZY about LoMein and I was also starving since I had given my lunch to Cloud who was always too lazy to pack his own. Mom agreed and ordered, allowing us to hang out until the food got here. So, we both went up to my room and relaxed after that stressful school day. I layed on my back on the bed with my head hanging over the edge and Aeris sat on the floor, her face inches from mine, smiling sweetly.

"I was so scared today that you were hurt by Sephiroth..."

"And I thought it was so sweet the way you made sure I was okay..." she folded my hair behind my ear and kissed me. I was incredibly thankful it was Friday, leaving us two days to spend together. Doing whatever we wanted.

"So..who gets to plan tomorrow night?" she asked.

"I don't care what we do, as long as we're together..." she smiled and kissed me yet again.

"Mm...how about we go...to that night club downtown? Entering age is eighteen...c'mon,we should!"

"Sounds good to me,baby...anything with you sounds good to me, music to my ears," I replied. She gave me that puppy face and ran her fingers through my hair.

"You're so sweet..."

"You,too.." I leaned in and kissed her then turned over on the bed, dizzy from hanging upside down.

"Tifa! Food's here!" called my mom. I quickly got up, went halfway downstairs, grabbed the bag and came back up.

"Thanks!" I called back from my room.

"Mmmm...LoMein...almost as yummy as you,my sweet," she giggled and gently pushed me back on the bed, kissing me. I broke the kiss.

"As much as I would love to make out with you, I don't have a door lock and I am STARVING.." I said. She laughed and put the food out on the bed. I was eating like a pig. Nothing better than a night with Aeris and chinese food. Yum. I was psyched about tomorrow night. This night club was sure to be interesting. I was definetly making sure I'd wear my best outfit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, after we had finished eating, we both sat on the bed talking. I lightly brushed her bangs out of her green eyes and kissed her. Her arm wrapped around me, her hand resting on my back.

"I love you.." she said smiling. I looked at her and gave her a hug. She was so warm...and she smelled so good. Every inch of her was like heaven.

"I love you,too...and I still feel horrible about what happened today..." She shook her head.

"It's not your fault,Tifa. We both love eachother, so we shouldn't care about what other's think or say. Just you and me, that's all that matters." she said. I smiled at her and held her hand. I knew we both loved eachother and I wasn't gonna let anyone ruin that.

"Remember when we took this picture?" I said, grabbing my cell phone and showing her the photo. She laughed at the image.

"Yes, I do! We look so weird..."

"But adorable, nonetheless," I said. I closed the phone and hugged her once again.

"I can't wait to show my hot girlfriend off tomorrow at the club! But if anyone even thinks of laying their hands on you, they're dead.." I told her.

"Protective much?" she said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Anything to protect you," I answered. Reno walked in the room, shirtless.

"Hey Tif, have you seen my--Oh,oh..I'm sorry...I didn't know you were here..." he said, backing out.

"Wait..Kadaj and I talked today and he told me to tell you to call him,"

"Really!? Ok...I'm sorry for all the times I have been an ass to you! Thanks for talking to him...Oh,hey. Can I, get a picture of you two kissing? Y'know, just to show off to my friends..."

"You're sick!" I threw a pillow at him and he laughed then left the room. I smiled.

"Why..._why_ did I have to end up with a brother this weird?"

"You have me now to end all this family-irony..." she said.

I sighed. "You saved me..."

"I freed you..."


	5. Party night

The next morning, Aeris woke up and called her parents to let them know that she was here and that she was gonna hang out with me tonight. They were okay with it but went over all the rules with her, which I heard since they were on speaker on her cell phone. They told her no drinking, smoking, drugs or anything of the sort. I giggled and rolled my eyes. As if she was the kind of girl to do crap like that. I knew better but I would make sure we didn't get into too much trouble. Suddenly, my cell phone rang. It was Cloud. I instantly wondered why he was up this early.

"Hello?" "Hey, Tifa..." Silence.

"Cloud...is there something you need to tell me? Calling me this early there's gotta be a reason.."

"Uh..no not really. I was just gonna ask if you guys wanted to hang out tonight with us," he said. I smiled. "Well..Aeris and I are going to that night club tonight that everyone talks about...you guys can come."

"You serious? Alright! Sounds awesome. Ok, who's driving?"

"How about you drive all of us?" "O..ok. Ok,cool. Ok..I'll pick you guys up around seven then? I'll get Zack and Yuffie then come get you,"

"Sounds good. Bye Cloud,"

"See ya later. Bye,"

Aeris hopped on the bed and crawled over to me.

"Tonight is gonna be so much fun!!"

"Yeah well, I'm gonna keep an eye on you to make sure you don't get into trouble," I replied. She grunted.

"Speak for yourself! You're the bad one, not me!" I looked up at her.

"Only with you..."

She smiled. My mom walked in the room.

"Girls, I'm going out soon and I probabley won't be back until really late. Are you okay by yourselves? I left money on the table so you can order,"

"We're going out tonight anyway. We'll be fine."

"Ok...be careful. I'll see you later." she smiled and waved to Aeris then left. I was glad that she was actually trying to not be a total bitch. I guess my attitude helped her realize that I was sick and tired of her crap. I flopped down on the bed, my annoyingly long hair hanging over the edge. Aeris got up and sat on the floor, running her delicate fingers through my hair. I turned my head so that I could look at her. I loved the way her florescent green eyes sparkled, no matter how light or dark it was. Her hair was up in a bun, the loose strands of long hair hanging down and her bangs hung over her face. Reno walked in, once again shirtless, his red mane looking sloppier than usual. I looked at him, annoyed.

"Yes, Reno? Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, where the hell is my Metallica shirt?" he asked. Suddenly, Kadaj appeared in the doorway behind him, rubbing his eyes.

"Why do you need it now, Reno?" he mumbled.

"...hi Kadaj. Did you stay last night?"

"Yeah..." he smiled.

"Wow...hope you didn't make too much noise" I answered.

"Ha ha ha...Tifa, where the hell is my shirt?"

"I don't wear it you freak! Go look in the laundry. Duh..." He gave me a 'I'm gonna kill you' grin and left, pulling Kadaj along with him and slamming the door. I sighed and layed back down.

"What's his deal? Luckily he's got a boyfriend, hopefully he won't ask to come with us tonight," Aeris laughed and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Speaking of tonight...I'm gonna pick out my outfit now!"

"Isn't it a little early for that?" I said. She didn't care, swinging open my closet door and scanning the clothing.

"What should our theme be?"

"For...?"

"Our outfits!"

"Hmm...school girl. I have plenty of plaid." I answered. I got up and pulled out all my shirts and skirts to choose what I was gonna wear tonight.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was finally time. I finished tieing my black boots that rose just above my ankles. Aeris sat on the couch with a magazine in her hand, waiting for Cloud to come get us. I looked at the clock. 7:10. He was late. As usual...

Suddenly, Reno and Kadaj came downstairs after many hours.

"Geez, you guys have been up there all day. What's going on?" I asked.

"Tifa...I was spending time with my boyfriend. Now, you would do the same with your girlfriend so please, no more personal questions," Reno grabbed a bottle of soda from the fridge and a large bag of chips, his longs sleeves completely hiding his hands. He looked like a child. It was quite amusing.

"Where are you guys going?" asked Reno.

"No asking personal questions, Reno..."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, we'll be upstairs,"

"Of course."

Finally, Cloud's car pulled up outside. I grabbed my cell phone and took Aeris' hand, guiding her out the door.

"This is gonna be so fun!" she said excitedly. I smiled at her. The top on Cloud's car was down and Yuffie and Zack sat in the back, yelling and waving like maniacs. We ran up to the car before they caused a disturbance in the neighborhood.

"Uh..Zack. Girls in back. You sit with Cloud!" said Yuffie.

"You're so bossy," he said opening the door. "..that's hot." he continued. Yuffie rolled her eyes then smiled and moved over so we could sit. Cloud and Zack certainly looked quite "dashing". Their eyes had tons of black eyeliner around them, with a red streak coming down from one eye.

"How cute, they decided to match," teased Aeris.

"Thanks Aeris, you look nice too." said Cloud smiling. She smiled back at him.

"Ahem! Eyes off, mister!" I scolded playfully. I held her hand tightly. He smiled and stuck his tounge out at me to which I responded by slapping him on the head.

"Ow! Hey, be thankful I'm taking you guys out tonight!" he started the car and we were finally off to the night club. This was my first time going but I knew Cloud and Zack had already been there.

The parking lot was packed when we got there but we managed to find a place. The club doors were open, letting out the strong aroma of alcohol and cigarettes. Through the windows I could see many people dancing to the blasting music. Neon letters of blue spelled out "Grey" on the top of the building. Odd name for a club, if you ask me. We all paid the entry fee and entered the club. Inside, flashing lights of many colors bounced off the walls and drunken lunatics danced around like maniacs. I couldn't tell if some were dancing or searching for a lost contact lens on the ground. It was rather amusing. We got glances from much older people than ourselves. They were probabley wondering why we weren't home in bed by now. The music that was played was pretty cool,too. An interesting mix of cyber-trance dance music. Different from what I was used to. But I liked it. Aeris tapped my shoulder and attempted to talk to me over the roaring music.

"Let's dance!"

"What!?" I shouted back.

"LET'S DANCE!!" she yelled louder.

"OK!!" I replied, smiling. She took my hand and led me out on the dancefloor. I couldn't say I had any experience with dancing. I had no rhythm. It just wasn't something I was good at. Now, she was a different case. She was able to pick up the beat of the song and move perfectly to it.

"C'mon, Tif! Dance!"

"I can't!!"

"Yes, you can!" she placed her hands on my hips and moved me in coordination with her body.

"See? You can." I smiled up at her and wrapped my arms around her neck. Eventually, I got into it and moved on my own. The beat of the music got heavier and our bodies came closer, amazing chemistry flowing between us. I was beginning to feel the tension. The music got louder and heavier and the sweat ran down my arms as we moved to the beat. I put my hands on her hips and mimicked the way she danced with me. Neon colors bounced around the club and I could see nothing but blurred figures of people dancing in the background and the beautiful girl in front of me. In the corner of my eye I could see Zack and Cloud standing there, but I couldn't see their faces. But I knew they were probabley wide and and drooling with excitement. Men. I continued dancing anyway.

By the time the song was over, I was sweaty and tired.

"Hey, did you guys have fun out there?" asked Cloud.

"You should know, mister-innocent-act. You were watching!" I said.

"I couldn't help it! Call it male instinct." Aeris rolled her eyes.

"Of course," she said, then smiled at him. I felt like I was about to faint. All that hot dancing made me thirsty.

"Ok, I'm gonna go get a drink, I'll be back," Aeris snatched my hand quickly.

"I'll go with you." she said. Cloud's eyes followed her until we were hidden behind the crowd of people.

"Dude, don't even think about it..." Zack warned.

"What?" he looked around nervously then walked away. **(A.N.: Hmm..a bit of suspense here?)**

"What would you girls like to drink?" asked the bar tender.

"We'll just have some water," I answered.

"Hey, that was something out there. You learn fast," she told me.

"I still can't dance."

"Of course you can,Tifa. Don't be silly." she smiled.

For the remainder of the night, we danced and danced like there was no tomorrow. Yuffie was eager to join us in our little dance group that developed over the hours. Once the night ended, I could barely walk. My feet...everything was killing me. Apparently, everyone else was the same way. I saw many people drunkenly walking to their cars, thankfulling having a responsible driver with them. We all tiredly climbed into the car and tried to get comfortable on the way home.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a relief it was to finally be home after a long night of dancing. It was about 1:30 in the morning when we walked in the door.

"Oh my god! Why can't you guys do that in Reno's room?" I asked, flicking on the light, seeing them making out on the couch. Reno got up and snatched his shirt off the floor.

"Because no one was home! C'mon baby." Kadaj followed him upstairs with dreary eyes. I sighed.

"I feel kinda bad for ruining their moment..." I usually never felt guilty for anything I did that was mean to my brother. But this was different. He had helped me alot the past few days.

"It's gonna be okay,Tif..." she said. I flopped down on the couch, exhausted from the night's events. For once I actually hoped my mom would stay at her boyfriend's house tonight. I wanna be alone with her. I sighed again.

"I'm gonna go change into comfy clothes and get some snacks and stuff. You can change,too if you want. I'll be right back." I went upstairs and on my way in my room I heard Reno and Kadaj whispering. Their words were so sweet to eachother. Now, I felt _really_ bad for ruining their moment downstairs. The least I could do now was to mind my own business and change.

I stripped off my school girl uniform and tossed my cell phone on the bed, then searching for my pair of pajama bottoms and my tank top. It was a relief to get out of that uniform and into something comfortable. Suddenly, Aeris walked in the room and turned on the light.

"You scared me!" I whispered.

"Sorry, babe. I wanted to see if you were still changing. Unfortunately, you already have," she wrapped her arms around my neck and sat me down next to her on the bed.

"Now, now. Don't be greedy." I told her. She frowned.

"With you, that's impossible..." I pulled her face to mine and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I want you to promise me something..."

"What is it, Tif?"

"I want you to promise me...that...you'll _never_ leave me. That'll you'll _never_ do anything to hurt me...please. I'm so scared. I-I'm terrified. Because...all the good things were going away before you..."

"Tifa...I swear to you...I will never ever do anything to hurt you. I won't leave you for anyone. Not even Cloud!" she laughed.

"I would hope not..." I answered. She placed her hand on the side of my face and moved my head towards hers so I could look into her eyes.

"I love you, Tifa." she inched closer until our lips met, still moving ahead and pushing me back on the bed. I was excessively nervous. She slid her hand up the side of my stomach and left it there, her other hand coming up to move the hair out of my face. She smiled sweetly and asked me if I wanted her to stop what she was doing.

"I dunno...I'm nervous. But...I don't want to stop..."

"Are you sure?" she said, looking into my eyes. I smiled and kissed her in response and gently ran my hands up her back. She was so soft and warm...like always. I loved it. And she smelled so sweet. It was like heaven being next to her. Being _under_ her. She slowly started kissing my neck, pausing to make sure I still wanted it. I was pretty sure I wasn't changing my mind. Not yet, anyway.

The night went on and the atmosphere of the night seemed so right. There, with her, was so perfect. I didn't think I could ever experience a moment so affectionate and comforting anymore than this.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Gah! Don't hate me for cutting out the lesbian sex part. x3 is not good at writing homosexual lemons. bashes self in head I SHALL LEARN SOON. Sorry if this chapter sucked and took a while to be updated. Compy problems... Anyway, hope you don't find it EXCRUCIATINGLY horrible. xP I LOVE YOU ALL, MY LITTLE SPACE MONKIES...hyper and random X3**


	6. Simple complications

I woke up the next morning reveling in the comfort of having her arm hanging over my waist and feeling the warmth of her sleeping beside me. What a night. Partying until I felt as if my feet had been broken and then having the most romantic night I think I've ever had. That was the only romantic night I'd had...

My experiences with guys weren't exactly what you'd call great ones. I had gone on a few dates and they usually ended up with the guy trying to get into my pants...then a broken nose and a few bruises. Oh him, of course. To win a women's heart, you had to be polite and respect her boundaries. The only boudaries these guys wanted anything to do with were below my waist. And I wasn't settling for that. So I gave up on dating. Until I developed feelings for none other than the beauty sleeping next to me. And today...was our one month anniversary. A perfect way to wake up to it, I might add. Especially because my mother had been out all night. Either that or she was too drunk to check on me when she got back.

I felt Aeris start to wake up. Her arm slowly slid across me as she prepared to sit up. I whined and pretended I was still asleep, my eyes open enough to see her smile and lean over me. When she got close enough, my eyes shot open and I gave her a surprise kiss. She gasped.

"You scared me, I thought you were still sleeping!" she said, pushing me back down playfully.

"Got ya. Guess what today is? Guess, guess, guess..."

"How could I forget? I don't need to guess. I thought about it all night. In my dreams. I couldn't escape it and I didn't want to, either," she answered. I smiled then stretched out my relaxed muscles from a wonderful rest last night. We both got up and groomed ourselves, as if we would be leaving the house soon. I didn't plan to. I stayed in my pajamas but made sure I didn't look like a total wreck.

Kadaj and Reno were cuddled together on the couch with a box of Fruit Loops, watching T.V and eating them like cartoon-obsessed five-year-olds. Kadaj's sleeves were way long and hid his hands, making him look more childish than he did normally. But in a cute way. Really. They were so engaged in what they were watching that they didn't even look up to say good morning. I didn't blame them. I had the ability to _really_ get into television at times. It was...strange.

"I'm surprised you guys are up this early," I said, breaking the silence.

"Likewise," Reno replied, grabbing a handful of Fruit Loops and shoving them in his mouth. Reno...he really had split personalities. One minute, he would be spending hours in the bathroom, making sure there wasn't one little flaw in the way he looked. The next minute he could be stuffing his face with junk food and snacks, making himself look like a complete slob. But, it was in the privacy of the house so it didn't matter. Kadaj didn't seem to mind. But then again, he'd seen what was underneath his clothing so he didn't need to worry. Atleast not until Reno gained some pounds.

"Any plans today? You guys should get out of the house. We were out most of the night last night and you two are here all day. Go out. Have fun,"

"Is there a reason you're trying to kick us out?"

"I'm not trying to kick you out. I am kicking you out. Now, go get dressed and have some fun. It's our turn to have the house to ourselves. Now go,"

"Say the magic words, sister..." he said teasingly.

"NOW,RENO," he raised his eyebrow and stood there. "...please," I finally forced out. He grinned.

"Have fun. We'll be out all day." The boys vanished upstairs to change.

Once they were out the door, I called my mom to see exactly where she was. Her bedroom door was open and she wasn't in there. I could probably guess easily that she was with her boyfriend. But...I didn't know if it was the same guy she'd been seeing for the past few weeks. I'll admit, my mom was doing better in terms of dealing with me. In other words, letting me do things for myself. But...she was a total whore. I'm sorry. I really think she needs to find a guy and stick with him. Who wouldn't think that? I missed having a father. I missed my father. I shook my head, forcing the painful thoughts from my mind, as I'd done whenever the subject of my dad came up. I'd refused to think about it.

"Hello? Mom, where are you?"

"I'm at work, hon. Is there something wrong?"

"What, no hang-over? No crashing at your boyfriend's house?"

"No, no. We just went out to dinner and I got back around eleven. I came to check on you but your door was locked so...is there something wrong? Do you need me to pick up anything from the store?"

"No,mom. I was just checking on you...ok,well. I'll see you when you get home,"

"Okay, hon. And Tifa," she said right before I hung up. "I love you."

"I..love you,too, mom."

I hung up the phone in a manner that suggested I had just gotten a phone call from a complete psycho breathing menacingly into the phone.

"Is everything okay?" asked Aeris.

"It's fine." I replied, still looking a little weirded-out.

"Good," she smiled. Just then, the phone rang. It was Aeris' mom. She told her that she wanted her home and that she could come back that night for a while. She said that she missed her being home lately. She agreed but after getting off the phone, she whined about feeling horrible that she had to leave on our anniversary. I understood, after all, the days we'd spent together lately had been a good anniversary. Her mom wanted her home. That was a good enough reason to let her go.

"I'll come by for a little while this evening," she said. I agreed and willingly accepted her good-bye kiss before she was out the door.

What to do? Kadaj and Reno were gone. Aeris was gone. My mom wasn't here, meaning no one to annoy. Wow...let's see. I could definetly see if Yuffie and the others were available this afternoon but I was feeling...very tired...too tired to even think of walking out the door and doing anything that required walking for more than five minutes. Before I knew it, I was carelessly sprawled on the couch, sleeping like a baby.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Mommy stop it! Stop it!!! _

_I attempted miserably to stop the growing anger and tension between my parents. But what could I do? I was a little girl. But I was their daughter, they were supposed to listen to me. Right?_

_The last thing I remember of my dad was him kneeling down and looking me in the eyes, telling me he loved me and that nothing would ever change that. Meanwhile my mother was in the background throwing a tantrum and screaming things at him that were never meant for a girl my age to hear at the time. He kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly before grabbing his coat and leaving. That was the last time I ever saw him. _

_My father had died the next morning after getting into a fatal car crash the night he left. I remember in the hospital, I never said a word. And whenever anyone spoke to me, I looked at them with tears in my eyes, not answering any of them. In my mind, I was screaming for my dad back. I didn't understand why he left me. After that day, I refused to ever get close to any man that my mom brought into the picture. I still do and I always would. There was no changing that. _

_I love you, Dad..._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to the sight of Aeris sitting at the end of the couch.

"H-hey...when'd you get here? Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked.

"I've only been here for a few minutes. And you looked so peaceful. I couldn't wake you..." she answered sweetly. I sat up and moved toward her, my muscles aching from the awkward sleeping position I had layed in for so many hours. My eyes were still adjusting to the light in the living room. I smelled food. Then I heard my mom ask if I was hungry.

"Yeah...I'm starving," I answered. I hadn't eaten anything all day.

After the wave of flashbacks I had while I was asleep, I was mad at my mom. It had been years since my father died but that didn't matter. She didn't kill him, but if she hadn't compelled him to leave, he wouldn't have gotten into the crash in the first place. I shook my head, dissolving any further thoughts on the situation. For now, I'd just keep calm and try to stay peaceful with her for once. I knew she intended to do better than she had been. But still...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aeris decided to stay for dinner and then return home. At least it would allow her and my mom to talk to eachother. Hopefully peacefully.

"How is school going for you guys? Any slipping grades I need to know about, Tifa?"

"I'm doing fine in school mom, like always..."

"And what about you Aeris? How is school for you?"

"Well, everyday is a struggle but I manage...grades are okay,though..."

It seemed very awkward at this point. I had no idea why my mom was bringing school up. As if we actually wanted to talk about it. There was silence for a few seconds before my mom spoke again.

"I've noticed how great of friends you are. Tifa's very lucky. I grew up having no friends, and when a friend came around, they weren't always the greatest person to hang out with. Be glad you have eachother," Aeris and I looked at eachother nervously and blushed. Was she catching on? I hoped not.

We finished up with dinner and I decided to walk her back down to her house. I needed some fresh air.

"Your mom seems...nice,Tifa."

"I never said she couldn't be. I just said...most of the time, she's a bitch..." I replied. I knew when I got home I'd be getting completely bambarded with questions about my sexuality from my mother. She had to be suspecting something by now. I should've been more careful. But it's not exactly easy. I love her and I need her in my life. It's that simple, but it's so complicated. I have no idea as to how _her_ mom will react to the situation. I knew she was more strict than my mother. That wasn't a good sign.

We had reached her house and alas, I had to let her go.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah. I'll see ya...love you."

"I love you,too." she hugged me and walked inside. I saw her mom looking out the window at us. I turned nervously and began to walk away when I heard her mother scolding her. She was telling her that she wanted her home and she wasn't allowed to go out as much as she had been. I felt extremely guilty, it was my fault she was getting yelled at. I inhaled sharply and ran back home.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	7. Not gonna leave you

**A.N: This chappie is in Aeris' POV. I might decide to do more than one in her POV, as well. **

I sat at the table glaring at my mother, my arms folded across my chest.

"I know..she's your friend. But from the moment you started hanging out with her, you've been gone almost every night."

"Yeah, she is my friend. And who cares? You and dad are always gone. Getting drunk and forgetting about your only daughter, anyway."

"How do I know _you_ don't get drunk when you're with her?! What, does she have guys over every night?"

"No, mom! All we've been doing is hanging out. You can even ask Cloud and Zack...we went to a club last night and didn't have _one_ drink or random hookup. There's no reason for you to be yelling at me!"

"Bottom line, Aeris. She's a bad influence on you and you need to get some new friends, seriously." I stood up and got in her face.

"What're you gonna do, mom?! You can't keep me away from her!"

Her hand shot up and hit me right in the face. I looked at her, disgusted, before running to my room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I gently touched the red streak forming across my face. Right then, I needed someone. I pulled out my cellphone and called Cloud. I asked him if he could come over and talk to me. I needed a friend. He agreed right away. I clicked the cellphone shut and continued to look in the mirror at my face. It was getting worse. I couldn't believe she actually hit me...

It was about 8:00 when Cloud showed up. I opened the front door and made sure my mom didn't hear him come in. From where she was in the house, I was confident she wouldn't notice. I grabbed his arm and ran upstairs.

"Cloud...we need to talk,"

"I hear for ya. I'll listen to anything you have to say,"

"Well, my mom is already starting to...suspect. And she's trying to keep me away from her. So, I need your help in order to be able to see her more."

"You want me to be a decoy in this situation?"

I looked at him with worry in my eyes. "What's in it for me?" he continued.

"Anything you want," I saw a michevious gleam in his eyes.

"NOT THAT!" I said. I knew what he was thinking. "Anything...but nothing sexual! Pervert!" I laughed. He folded his arms and turned away dramatically.

"I'm sorry, then. I can't help you,"

"Cloud!"

"I'm kidding. I'll do it."

"Thank you, Cloud! I owe you one!" I ran over to the bed and gave him a hug.

There was no way I was going to let my mom come between our friendship. It was too much to just throw away and I was more than willing to do whatever it took to keep seeing her. No doubt about it. I would just go into school tomorrow and talk to her about the situation. We could figure things out. We've come this far. We can do this.

"Thanks again for taking the time to help me out, Cloud" I led him out the door and stood on the porch with him until he left.

"Anytime..." he hugged me again. But it was more than a friendly hug. It was more of a "I care for you a lot" hug. He finally let go and walked home. I went back inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow I knew things were going to be okay...I hoped they were going to be okay.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning with my mother was awkward. I sat at the table and quietly finished breakfast, avoiding her glances and her attempts to start conversation. Once I was finished, I grabbed my bag and told her I'd take the bus. Trust me, I'd much rather sit with a bunch of freshman than sit in the car with her for half an hour. I mean, who does she think she is? Trying to stop me from hanging out with Tifa. I won't let her. Not without a fight.

The bus ride to school was worse than I thought it'd be. It was full of freshman boys...who wouldn't stop looking at me. It...sickened me, to say the least. I sat in the far corner, away from anyone who would bother me and awaited the moment I could see Tifa and explain what happened last night. I hoped and prayed she wouldn't be upset. My mom was being completely foolish. She's probably going to put me in therapy. Or try to exorcise me or something. Knowing her, she definetly would. Whenever Tifa told me about her relationship with her mom, I was thankful that my mother wasn't that way. But now...she's completely turned her back on me...

I shook the thoughts out of my head when the bus finally stopped at the front of the school. I hurried out of the bus and ran inside, to find Tifa standing by her locker. I approached her and she turned and smiled at me.

"Hey...I tried to call you. What happened?" she asked.

"My mom took my cell. She's acting completely ridiculous just because I'm hanging out with you a lot..."

She frowned. I was so scared she'd be hurt. I didn't want to upset her.

"Hey...I don't care what she says. I'm going to stay with you. No matter what," she looked up and smiled once more. I smiled back and kissed her. By this point, I didn't care who saw us in the hallway. They let the straight couples do it, they have to let the gays do it...right?

Reno and Kadaj walked by holding hands. They were friends with virtually everyone in school. There was no one who hated them. I wondered how they did it. Tifa was lucky to have a brother like Reno. In my opinion, anway. All the girls thought they were adorable and all the guys thought they were fun to hang out with. Reno and Kadaj were in between feminine and masculine. They could be manly in certain situations. But when it came to going out, they were on the femme side. Always wanting to look "stunning". Tifa always tells me that she enjoys having Reno as a brother because, whether she wants to look casual or feminine, he's always there to help her pick the right outfit.

"I was planning on going out to dinner with you tonight but...maybe some other time?" Tifa asked.

"Of course. In a couple of days...my mom will hopefully back off." I answered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like everyday, we all sat together at lunch. Talking about...the usual. Most of the time making fun of teachers we didn't like and praising the teachers who were the coolest. And, like everyday, Cloud copied Zack's homework for the next classes. Although, he didn't call it "copying". He called it "living in someone else's frame of mind". In other words, he was trying to be smart and get a good grade. I knew that if he really tried, he could get things right. He just didn't bother to.

Yuffie sat beside Kadaj and Reno with her head resting on one hand, looking extremely engaged in conversation with them. I wasn't surprised. Reno and Kadaj were some of the best people to have a conversation with. They'd give their full ideas or opinions but also listen to what you had to say. And, let's face it, they were adorable. All other thoughts instantly left my head, drowned out by guilt. I felt horrible that I had to keep Tifa away. I didn't even want to think of the pain she was more than likely experiencing.

"Aeris...I'll be okay...I know it's what you need to do. I'll be fine. Promise,"

"What?"

"I see your face. You're upset...don't worry about me..." she answered.

"It's hard not to..."

"Listen, everything will be fine. I promise..." she said.

I smiled at her. Her words were always comforting. But I was still worried about my mother's actions. And worst of all, it was going to be extremely hard to be away from Tifa for the next few days. I'd, by now, become so attached to her. I didn't want to leave her. And I wasn't going to...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Gah! ok...it's a little short. But for the next few chappies I have some interesting things in store for my fellow readers. So hang in there, it'll get better. Thank you so much for taking the time to read!!! LOVE YOU ALL**_

_**Meg chan**_


	8. Menya polystu net

_**This chapter is back to Tifa's point of view. Sorry if it's too confusing.**_

I knew it would come sooner or later. This was the time to feel pain and regret. Aeris' mother was already trying to get rid of me. She's suspecting. I began to worry. Pesturing thoughts ran through my mind as I walked in the door. I began to feel guilt and anxiety. Had I ruined everything between us already? The last thing I wanted was for her mom to hate me after all the years we'd been friends. My mom sat at the table reading, looking stressed as always. Being a mother, she was able to tell that something was wrong with me. And me, being the "normal" teenager I was, denied anything was wrong when deep down I knew that my world was slowly crumbling.

"You can't keep _everything_ from me, Tifa. You and I both know there's something wrong..." I had to give in. If I didn't, she was never going to stop bothering me about it. And I'd rather get it out now than have to keep thinking and talking about it.

"Aeris' mom is trying to keep her away from me. She thinks I'm a bad influence on her.."

"Did her mom say that?"

"I don't know...but I can kind of determine that since she's so willing to shut me out..."

"Well, I can't change what her mother thinks. But I'm not saying it's okay for her to stop your friendship...Tifa...how _good_ of friends are you?"

My eyes shot up instantly to meet hers and just as quickly looked away in embarassment. I felt my cheeks burning red and the thoughts kept pouring in my head and wouldn't get out. How did she know? How long had she suspected? Does she hate me for it? Will she do the same thing Aeris' mom is doing? I had no clue what was going to happen but I was hoping for the best.

"Tifa...I know you think I'll hate you for this. How do you think I felt when I found out about your brother?"

"I didn't think you knew..."

"Well, I'm not blind to what's been going on. I see the way you are around her. The only person you were ever that affectionate with was your father and I know you really loved him..."

"Keep him out of this!" I snapped angrily.

"I'm not angry with you...I've known for a while. You show your feelings for her quite openly, Tif..."

"I can't help it. I love her. I'm in love with her."

"I know you are..."

Tears welled up in my eyes. I was overwhelmed by her more than accepting reaction. And even more overwhelmed by the thought of how Aeris' mom would take it. The last thing I wanted was for her to disown her own daughter. I sank down to the floor and cried. I was in love. I didn't know what to do about the fact that her mom hated it. She didn't even know yet and she hated me. My mom sat next to me on the floor and held me in her arms. At that moment, I actually felt like I had a mother.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke in the morning on the couch to find my mom sitting at the coffee table reading again.

"Just in time. Get ready for school."

I felt like a wreck. My hair was a mess and all I remembered from the previous night was crying a lot. I threw the small cover off my body and ran upstairs to get ready. For the first time in a while, I was nervous to see her at school today. I didn't want to make a complete fool of myself. And the last thing I wanted was to be hurt more than I already was. I didn't know about how she would feel. Would she be sorry for her mother's foolishness? Or would she feel like she'd betrayed her mom and get new friends? I scared myself thinking about it. I wanted to be her friend. Her close friend. No one else. With the exception of Cloud, Zack and Yuffie. I wanted to be her number one. And that was slowly being taken away from me. The more I tried not to think of it, the harder it got not to.

I went downstairs after I was done getting ready and quickly hugged my mom before running out the door. I nearly tripped over my own feet, fumbling with my car keys in a rush until I finally managed to climb in the car un-injured and drive away to hell. School, that is. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky and it was still somewhat dark out. The clouds overhead parted and were many varieties of pink, yellow and orange. I stopped admiring the atmosphere to avoid a fiery crash and kept driving. I rebelliously passed the school buses and turned into the entrance of the school. Doing my best to avoid the students that were standing in the way, I parked the car and got out.

"Well, if it isn't the school's biggest _dyke..._" I turned around to see that stupid blonde bitch who just happened to be in all of my classes.

"Oh, and here, ladies and gentlemen, is the school's biggest _cock sucking slut_, Leblanc!" I replied. Her mouth hung open in shock of my answer to her insult. I wasn't taking shit from her. I didn't have to. I grinned sarcastically and walked into the school. The first thing I'd do would be to look for Aeris.

"Tifa!!" she shouted, running to me from her locker and leaping into my arms. I stumbled back, surprised by her enthusiastic greeting.

"I miss you!! A few days without you has seemed like years for me!" she said again. I smiled weakly.

"It's good to hear you say that...I thought you didn't care.."

"Tifa...of course I care!" she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly to which I returned the embrace. I wasn't lying, I really needed to hear her say that.

"Tifa..come over tonight.."

"What? What about your m--"

"She's not gonna be home!"

"Listen, I don't want you to get in any more trouble than you're in.."

"Tifaaaaaaa" she whined. "This could be our only chance in a long time to be alone..."

"You're sure she's not gonna be there? Don't you feel bad about sneaking?"

"I'd do anything to be with you." she answered. I couldn't reject that...but I still felt bad. I didn't want to get her in trouble.

"It's not that I don't want to, you know that...But I think that if we want to avoid you getting in trouble...we need to wait a little more..." I replied. She backed away from my hug and looked at me like she didn't understand what I'd said.

"Aeris..."

"I just...thought you'd wanna be with me.." with those words, she walked off.

"I do, Aeris! I just don't want you to get in more trouble than you're in!"

"Save it!" she yelled down the hall. I didn't know how to react to that. That was the first time she'd been upset with me. This short encounter with her left _me_ upset the rest of the day and it didn't help that she didn't want to talk to me, either. I found it weird that a little argument left me so upset but it did. I felt horrible. The last thing I wanted was for her to think that I didnt want her. I do. She's my everything. But it's not worth the risk of her mom finding out and us never being able to be together at all. I hoped she'd apologize after taking that into consideration.

I was walking out to the parking lot, finally able to get out of hell for the day when I saw Aeris give Cloud an enthusiastic hug. I wondered. Was she forgetting about me? Suddenly, she looked over her shoulder at me and started coming over. I looked away and opened my car door, fumbling with my keys until she got there.

"Hey..."

"Hey, uh..lookin' rather cozy with Cloud over there..."

"Tifa...I'm sorry I didn't listen to you today...I was wrong..." I nodded in agreement.

"And...I was selfish for not understanding that you didn't want to jeapordize our relationship...I was too blind to see that..." I nodded again. "Is that all you're gonna do? Nod?" she continued. There was a long pause before I spoke.

"I didn't want you to think I didn't want you...because you are the one I want..." She smiled, caressed my face with her hand and leaned in, kissing me. It got unusually quiet around us but I didn't care. I smiled back and took her hand.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to have an argument ever again..."

"Me either..today was hard..." she nodded. "You're forgiven," I continued to which she smiled. I turned and hopped in the driver's seat.

"Get in."

She threw her bookbag in the backseat and jumped in. I was more than happy that we had come to an understanding about our little argument. It made me feel a whole lot better. The whole way to her house, she held my hand.

It was drizzling lightly by the time we reached her house.

"You better get inside," I said to her.

"Thanks for the ride," she said smiling.

"No problem" I smiled back and kissed her goodbye.

That doesn't mean I _wanted_ to say goodbye. But for now, I had to...


	9. Revnuet

I was unfortunately awoken by my alarm clock on a Saturday morning. My eyes shot open and I cursed myself for forgetting to turn the damn thing off. Now, I wasn't gonna be able to get back to sleep.

"Stupid thing..." I mumbled after hitting the device off. A cool breeze drifted in through the small opening in the window which was rather refreshing in the morning. I plopped back down on the bed, hugging my pillows and wrapping myself up in blankets, trying to get back to sleep. My eyes flickered open and closed repeatedly, my vision still blurred from my abrupt awakening. So bored...and ironically, not tired. I reached for my cell phone and had a text.

_Thanks for the ride last night, Tif. And again, I'm sorry for the stupid little outburst I had. I know you really care about me and for that, I love you more than anything. Whenever you feel is the right time for us to be together, I'm always here. I love you._

I smiled and blushed like a love-struck school girl. She makes me feel like no other person had ever made me feel. I fell back on the bed, placing a fluffy pillow over my face and reveling in the sweet little message she sent me. I couldn't be happier with anyone else. Now all I had to do was wonder just exactly what I was going to do on a boring Saturday. Is Reno busy? Hmm...he wouldn't wanna hang out with me, anyway. Hmmm...maybe I'll hang out with Yuffie or something. I didn't know what to do. So bored...I sighed and threw the pillow off of my head and onto the floor. Once again I grabbed my cell phone and decided to text her back.

_Wanna hang out tonight? Yuffie's house, 6:00? Tif._

I knew she'd be happy that we could spend some time together tonight. Away from the nagging and constant irritation of her mother. For the rest of the day, though, I wasn't sure what to do. This was the most bored I'd been since...I can't even remember. Mom was at work and my brother was more than likely in bed, out of breath, laying next to Kadaj after having a long night of overly done, kinky sex. Not something I wanted to think about. I shook those thoughts from my head and slumped down the stairs to eat breakfast. I looked at the clock and it wasn't as early as I thought. 11:46 a.m. So it wasn't a surprise when I heard a knock on the door. I lazily fixed my hair and rubbed myeyes before opening it, only to see Cloud.

"Hey, Tif,"

"Hey..what're you doing here?"

"I was extremely bored and I wanted to see a friend. Who better than you?"

I smiled. "I know. I'm bored,too. I asked Aeris if she wanted to hang out at Yuffie's tonight around six. You should come,too."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. Hey, where's Reno? He busy?"

"Uh..I dunno, go up into his room and check..." I said, smiling to myself.

"I just wanna see if he's free to hang out today," he said, making his way up the stairs. Once he was out of sight, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and laughed, thinking of the possibilities of things he could walk in on. To my dissapointment, Reno and Kadaj walked out of the bedroom right when Cloud got there. No opportunities for entertainment. They were dressed and ready to head out the door.

"Wow...have fun. I'm gonna be wickedly bored today. See ya." I said.

"I'm taking my cell, call if you need anything, Tif. And have fun tonight, I dunno when we're gonna be back."

"Come to Yuffie's tonight. Cloud's going,too"

"I'll see what I can do." he replied in a sly tone.

"What, so you're some kind of workaholic now? Too busy for your own sis?"

"What can I say? I _do_ have the greatest boyfriend in the world, y'know."

"Yeah, okay. I guess I'll see you tonight"

"Later..."

And just like that, they were out the door, leaving me to rot, drown, suffer and decay into the inevitable abyss of boredom on a Saturday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hmm...it's gotta be 'hot sex, sex god..." I guessed. The sad truth, I had been watching game shows all day. My favorite, Chain Reaction, which happened to be on right now. Everytime I guessed wrong, I threw a handful of popcorn at the television. A lot of people that got onto the show were complete idiots, I just had to laugh at them. My cell phone vibrated and caught my attention, pulling me out of the abyss. It was a text.

_I'm so there. Yuffie's place at six. Can't wait to see you, hun. _

I smiled before shutting the phone and placing it back on the table. Looking like a complete slob, I shoved a handful of buttery popcorn into my mouth and continued to watch TV until something else happened that would distract me. For a long time, nothing did. Until my mom came home. I told her I was going to Yuffie's tonight and that Aeris would be there, too. To my surprise, she didn't mind. I'd thought she would've scolded me about staying away from her until things cooled off with her mom but she was fine with it. As of now, I had no irritations to worry about. I decided to shower since I looked and smelled like a pig. I wanted to be presentable tonight.

It was around 5:00 when I was clean, my hair was done and I was dressed and ready to go. I threw my long locks of hair up into a loose bun, two annoying strands of hair hanging over my face. My ears were itchy and red from the earrings I put in. The dangling was bothering me but they looked good so I didn't bother to take them out. I had on a fitted black dress that reached a bit below my knees accompanied by a pair of strappy black shoes. Ok, maybe we were only going to hang out but I still wanted to look good. This was the first time I'd dressed up in a while so I was surprised by how different I looked. There was a knock on the door and I instantly threw down my eyeliner to answer it.

"Wow...you look beautiful, hun!!" Aeris said with excitement. I squealed and gave her a big hug.

"Come in, come in, I'm almost done getting ready..." I said. She looked _way_ better than I did. Her long hair was tightly pulled up into a high pony tail with several curls waving down her delicate face. She wore a velvety red dress with a small pink ribbon on each thin strap that fit her shoulders snuggly. Like me, she also wore a pair of strappy shoes.

"Mmm, you look so pretty!!" I told her.

"So do you, babe." she replied.

The front door was left open a crack and Zack barged in followed by Cloud, Reno and Kadaj. Cloud was smiling, eyeing Aeris like a dog.

"You look nice," he told her, giving her a hug. I eyed them slightly when Aeris hugged him back. Cloud was a good friend. Which is why I felt bad when I felt jealous about it. He saw my expression and pulled away from hugging her. I looked away. I knew they were good friends...and I didn't want to be jealous. But I was...I decided to ignore those feelings.

"Tifa looks way better, though," she replied, giving me a kiss. I had to smile. Minutes later, we were all out the door and driving to Yuffie's house. I had already heard that other people were going to be there, too, but I wasn't sure who. Nonetheless, I was excited to be with my friends. Not at home being pathetic and watching game shows. And no parents to ruin the fun.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment we all walked in the door, it seemed crazy. First of all, "Blue(Da ba dee)" was blaring in the house and Yuffie was dancing around like a crazy person. There weren't many others there. One person was there that I recognized. It was Kadaj's older brother. The two looked almost exactly alike, it was scary. Yazoo was older, though. The others were people from different schools. I didn't even know how Yuffie knew them. I turned around to sit my bag on the couch but it was already occupied by a girl in black leather making out with her skinny blonde girlfriend. The two were obviously very close. I simply just sat the bag on the floor and walked away. I guess since I had already seen two girls making out, I could be comfortable with Aeris. I made my way to the kitchen, through the crowd where a brunette stood, fondly kissing her cute blonde boyfriend. They seemed close, too. Yuffie managed to get into the kitchen in a few seconds without saying "Hi." I guess she didn't notice us come in the door. My brother broke away and went straight for the beer sitting on a table nearby. Kadaj never liked when he drank.

Aeris ran up and grabbed my hand, walking with me to greet Yuffie. Apparently, some of the guests had been here for awhile since some boys were laying on the kitchen floor, drinks in hand. I carefully stepped over them and talked to Yuffie.

"Whoa, Yuff. What is all this?"

"A party, duh!"

"Yeah, well I thought it would only be you, me, Aeris and a few others. Not a bunch of lunatics. How do you even know these people?"

"Let's just say I'm really popular on the internet! Hey, why are you so freaked about it?"

"Because I have to be a positive influence if Aeris is gonna get to come with me anywhere! You know how her mom i--"

"Screw her mom! Have some fun, damn..."

She was clearly drunk, her feet stumbling and her words jumbled. Once the argument between Yuffie and I was over, Aeris was off in the living room "having some fun". I didn't know what to do. She was half-drunk. And she had to be home by eleven, giving her no time to sober up. I started to worry. A lot. I stepped over mounds of drunken fools to reach her.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Having fun.."

"Yeah, apparently..."

A half-drunken Aeris was slumped in Cloud's arms on the couch. I shot him a glare to which he shrugged nervously, trying to push her off.

"This is unbelievable...c'mon. I have to take you home..."

"T-Tifa...wai--"

Barf. All over the damn floor in front of me. Thankfully it didn't get on my open-toed shoes. I shivered with disgust as she draped her arm over my shoulder, ready to leave. Not even an hour and it was too much to handle...

"Heyy!!! What're you doing?" yelled Yuffie.

"Going home. We're both in deep shit. Maybe next time you'll be able to have a mature time with us."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey...why'd you go off and do that? You know I had to have you home _sober_, right?"

"Yeah...I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Cloud had me hold his drink for a second and I.."

"W-wait..so it was Cloud?"

"No, he just asked me to hold it for a second..."

"Just like him...totally irresponsible...how good of friends are you two, anyway? Is there some kind of affair going on?"

"That's not fair, Tifa. We're only friends!"

"Apparently with benefits..."

She shot up off the bench.

"If this is going to work...you need to stop being so damn jealous!!"

And just like that, she was home. I cursed to myself when it began to drizzle. I couldn't help being jealous...and for that, she's infuriated.


	10. Those Arms

My eyes were sore and I was generally exhausted from the remainder of the stupid weekend. I cried for the majority. If she and Cloud are hanging out so much, what the hell am I supposed to think? Okay...maybe I'm being a bit too paranoid..I don't know anymore.

I sat at my desk, doodling little pictures, waiting for the bell to ring. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone sit next to me. I kept my focus on the paper. I didn't care who it was.

"Tif...listen. I'm sorry that I hurt you. Cloud and I...we're just friends. I understand why it hurt you but nothing went on between us. And it won't. I don't--"

"I don't like feeling jealous...I really don't, but...what am I supposed to think? You guys have been friends longer than we have. I feel like I can't compete."

"Don't. Don't say that. I only have feelings for you. No one else. I just wish you'd trust me more."

"Right now...I don't think I have a reason to..." Picking up my books, I sat at a seat far away from her. When class started, I kept my eyes on my books and papers, trying not to look at her.

Was I being too harsh? No...I'm not letting myself be stepped on anymore. I was hurt by the situation. Of course I'm not being harsh. Maybe I should just keep my distance for a few days. That way we can both cool down. As for Cloud and I, I didn't really feel like talking to him, either. They can think I'm being too uptight about it all they want.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The end of the day couldn't have arrived any slower. I threw my backpack into the back seat of my car and hopped in before I could be greeted by anymore confrontation today.

Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Tifa..."

I glared. "What do you want, Cloud?" I said, looking down at the steering wheel.

"Since you won't listen to your own girlfriend, maybe you'll acknowledge what I say. Nothing went on with Aeris and I and there won't be anything. I'm your friend and I respect you enough to steer clear."

There was silence before I spoke again.

"I'll see you later," and drove off to go home, the only place I wanted to be right then.

It's not like they kissed or...anything else. It was just a hug, right? Jealously is not an attractive quality in a person. And I don't want to make a mistake and push her away by being jealous over something so...meaningless. Perhaps I was being too sensitive. Too paranoid. Things could've been worse.

I tossed my bag onto my bed and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, deciding to just send her a quick text message.

--Tomorrow morning, meet me at my house before school. We can talk then.

-"Message sent!"

I closed the phone and plopped down on the bed, a million thoughts running through my mind before I finally drifted off into sleep.

_It was dark. Total darkness in the room. Nothing mattered at that moment. It was just her and I and the world seemed to stop. Her kiss seemed to make everything stop in it's track. This feeling...was it real? It was indescribable. She draped her arms around my neck and pulled me on top of her, continuing to kiss me with all the passion she felt. Those arms...they held me so tightly. She was so warm. The feeling I had when I was with her was like nothing else I had ever felt. Those arms..._

My eyes flickered awake when I felt a hand running through my hair. Those same arms from my dream...

My eyes adjusted to the sight of Aeris next to me on my bed. My eyes widened and I shot up, cursing myself afterwards from the dizziness I felt from the impact.

"What're you doing here?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"I had to see you. To clear things up."

"There's nothing to clear up. I was wrong. It's just...hard for me to trust people." I said quickly as I got up to straighten myself out.

"Tifa...I know you were hurt. Stop pretending like you're invincible."

There was silence. I heard her appproaching me until I felt her breath on my neck and felt her eyes on me.

"Tifa, I love you." I turned around and looked into her eyes before pulling her face to mine and kissed her deeply. I relived my dream as she wrapped those arms around me again and pulled me back, continuing that dizzying kiss that drove me crazy. Being with her was the only thing that mattered right then.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Holy shit!!" Reno screamed. Kadaj was in mid-air about to land on him while jumping on the old, ugly trampoline in the backyard. I wondered why the hell we still had it.

He landed and Reno groaned from the impact but then flipped Kadaj under him and tackled him, kissing him passionately. I opened the sliding door, staring at them in amusement.

"What the hell? Don't you guys have something better to do?" I said, a bowl of cereal in hand. I was still upset that last night ended so abruptly. But hey, when you sneak out, there's no choice but to get back early, which is what she had to do.

"Mmm, no actually, we don't. Now run along and let us fondle eachother,"

"Hm, on a freakin' trampoline?"

"Why the hell not?!" Reno said. I laughed, rolling my eyes while walking back inside to chill out. The minute I sat down to enjoy some TV, there was a knock on the door. I whined and got up, once again, to answer it. What a saw was some fluffy blonde hair and a pair of ocean blue eyes.

"Hi Cloud..."

"How is everything?" Silence.

"Just fine..Did you want something?"

He shrugged. "I just needed an update on how you were. I feel horrible for making things hard."

"It's all good...everything's fine now. Thanks for being concerned, though..."

He stepped into the house.

"I'm not going to deny that I once had a thing for her, but,"

"Is there something you're getting at?" I said, frustrated. I didn't want this conversation to make things bad again.

"But she's totally yours,"

"I know that,"

"And I'll stay clear of her" he continued quickly.

"Yeah well, you better. We have enough problems that if one thing goes wrong, we could be ruined. Do me a favor and don't make yourself one of them." I said.

"You don't have to worry about that.."

"...Good."

I smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder before he walked out the door. I was starting to feel like some of the weight on my shoulders was being lifted.


	11. Ballads, paintings, photos, oh my!

There I sat, on the couch, doing absolutely nothing on a beautiful day. My body began to sweat as I sat there longer and longer, wearing a baggy white shirt and an old pair of sweat pants.

"Ughh...I gotta get outta here..." I pushed myself off the couch and went upstairs to change into clothes that didn't make me look like a 250 pound sleeze. I threw on black and gray striped knee highs, a knee length black skirt and a form fitting long sleeved black shirt. Once my makeup was freshly applied, I was out the door, car keys in hand, knowing exactly where I wanted to go. Without haste, I hopped in the car and drove off, cranking up my brand new Avenged Sevenfold CD. God, the urge to sing along was unbearable.

"And with aaalll that we've been throughhh, after aaalll this time, I'm coming home to youuu. I reach towards the skyyy, I've saaaid my goodbyes, my heart's always with youuuu nowwww..."

"Gunslinger" was obviously one of my favorites. I listened to it all the way down the road until I came to a stop in front of my angel's house. Haha...wow. I was beginning to notice that I was referring to her as things of that nature. And, honestly, it creeped me out a little. I blinked those thoughts away and got out of the car. I could hear muffled music coming from the house. Very melodic tunes, in fact. I knocked on the front door and after about a minute, I turned the knob and it was open. Talk about safety.

"Hello?" I shouted. The basement door was open and the serene music was clearer now. I walked down the stairs and I saw Aeris, dancing and swaying to the tunes as she painted on three different canvases that were spread across the room. My eyes widened. She told me she painted but I never knew how well she did it until this moment. Her work was amazing. I saw many different things. Purple and violet flower pedals with swirls and crystals scattered across them, giving them a rainy effect. They were beautiful. Across from that, there was an image of a bright red rose, illuminated with yellow and orange highlighting. The green stems were outlined with a subtle blue so they stood out. It was all very overwhelming. The third painting looked like it was still in progress. I couldn't tell yet what it was of.

"You're amazing..."

Aeris quickly turned around, clearly startled. Her eyes widened as she asked me just how long I had been standing there.

"Long enough to see what a great artist you are. These are beautiful..." She smiled as I made my way towards her, still gazing at the images around the room.

"Yeah, well. I'm not done with them yet. This one's still got a ways to go," she said, pointing at the painting that I couldn't decipher. "But you can't see it yet. It was supposed to be a gift for you.." she blocked the canvas with her body. I giggled.

"Alright, then. I only came to see the very talented woman who stands before me," I said, moving closer to her. Our lips almost touched. I felt her smile before I closed my eyes and sealed that gap that kept our kiss from existing. I broke the kiss and said "But, uh, what exactly are you listening to?"

"They're actually piano ballads that the one and only Zack composed and put on a CD for me!" she replied.

"Wow, he did these? Everyone's got talent, I suppose."

"Yep, you do, too. You're a great photographer. Maybe I can model for ya some day..." she winked.

"You'd sure make a great subject."

"Mmmmhmmmmmmmm." she giggled, wrapping her arms around my waist. I smiled before she kissed me. She broke the kiss and said, enthusiastically, "How about I model for you now?!" she smiled brightly and without my answer, ran up the basement steps in an excited frenzy.

"Where are you going?" I yelled. "To get ready!" she hastily replied. I sighed and smiled to myself. But then I started to get nervous. Hopefully she would be clothed. I mean, not _hopefully_. But I'm not good with these types of things. I get nervous in these ordeals. Even with her. Yeah, I've seen her...naked...but...agh. I giggled nervously just thinking about it. I didn't even have my camera with me.

"I don't have my camera with me!" I yelled.

"Well, we'll just go to your house, I'll get ready there. C'mon!" she answered. I laughed and made my way up the stairs, following my overly-enthusiastic artist out the door.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, let's do this!" she said as the car came to a stop outside my house. We got out of the car and wasted no time getting in the house, me getting the camera and heading down to the basement as she prepared herself upstairs. I was glad to see that Reno and Kadaj had left the house by the time we got here. I set up the atmosphere of the photoshoot by covering the main wall with a large pale pink sheet, moving all objects out of the way. I had many different sheets that varied in color. But I chose the pink because everytime I look at her, she looks like an angel. Pale pink was the perfect color for her. By the time I was done, I took a seat and the minute I relaxed, I heard footsteps coming down the basement stairs. I stood up.

Of course, she entered the doorway looking like an absolute goddess. She was clad in a silky white robe and pale pink stelettos [yes!. Her chocolate brown hair was up in a high ponytail with a few curls surrouding her face. Her cheeks were blushed a light pink tone and her darker eye makeup brought out her emerald green eyes perfectly. Her lips were also a light glossy pink and looked extremely...kissable. I felt my body heating up. She looked beautiful. This is what I meant. I began to sweat a little and became more nervous as she approached me. Was there anything on under that robe?

"I'm ready when you are," she said. I [nervously showed her to the wall I had set up for the shoot. This seemed familiar. Oh yeah. This was just like one of those stereotypical C-rate pornos in which there is a photoshoot between a horny husband and a large-breasted wife. Except, she's alot more beautiful than those woman and I'm..the horny girlfriend. It differs slightly. And I doubt this will lead to sex, but we'll see.

"Just do what comes natural to you, babe," I told her. She began posing. And my god, she looked great doing it. She turned to the side and titled her head back, looking into the lens. Her pink lips were parted slightly and her eye lids were half open, making her look very...seductive. She turned frontward and lifted the bottom of her robe a bit, exposing her left thigh. She wasn't nervous at all, the camera loved her. Again she turned to the side, this time the opposite and exposed her smooth shoulders from the silk robe. I was starting to find it harder to focus. She turned foward again and, hesitating a bit, began to slowly unbutton the front of the robe. I felt the temperature rise.

"W-whoaaaa! What the hell?!" I saw Aeris quickly close up the robe as her cheeks turned more pink than they already were. After finally prying my eyes off of her, I turned to see Reno and Kadaj standing in the doorway.

"No, you, what the hell? What do you want?!"

"Uhhh. Wow, okay. Mom's coming home soon, I just...thought you should...know...uhhh..."

"I don't care! Out!"

Reno raised his hands, surrendering, and shut the door. I sighed, extremely frustrated.

"Maybe we should finish this another time..." said the angel standing in front of me.

"God dammit..."

"I'm sorry, baby. I was really into it, but now..."

"I know. Damn him. He ruined it..." I said sadly.

"It'll be alright. This model always has a place for you in her book." I looked at her and smiled. My eyes blinked shut as my hands rested on her creamy shoulders, pulling her towards me and planting a kiss on her soft lips.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once she was in here normal attire, I walked Aeris to the front door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

"It's fine, I'll walk. Thanks so much for being with me today. I had a lot of fun."

"Well, you did great," I said, smiling.

"Thanks.." she smiled back sweetly. I gave her one last kiss before she went on her way. I shut the door behind her and leaned against it. I hoped we could finish that photoshoot soon. Now, off to yell at my brother, excuse me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haha. I read chapter ten this morning and I was like "Ewwwwww." One, it's really short and two, it's horrible. This chapter I think makes up for it. Sorry for making you all read that! XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter I had alot of fun writing it!! Please review.


End file.
